Improving Enhanced Biological Phosphorus Removal with Return Activated Sludge Fermentation and Carbon Addition in a Benchtop Sequencing Batch Reactor Treating Real Wastewater

Levi L. Straka*, McKenna M. Farmer, Charles J. Impastato, Joseph F. Kadich, George F. Wells, Joseph A. Kozak

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Enhanced biological phosphorus (P) removal (EBPR) with return activated sludge (RAS) fermentation (S2EBPR) is a recent EBPR innovation suggested to achieve more stable and efficient P removal. However, consensus around these benefits and the mechanisms of S2EBPR is still developing. To further this understanding, three pilot sequencing batch reactors treating real domestic wastewater were operated as S2EBPR or conventional EBPR, with or without external carbon addition, and as S2EBPR with or without the anaerobic phase. Findings include the following: (1) S2EBPR showed a small P removal improvement over conventional EBPR; (2) S2EBPR performed substantially better with a small dose of external carbon added, while conventional EBPR did not, but microbial community stability was increased in both; (3) when external carbon to S2EBPR was stopped, high P removal continued for two solids retention times; (4) the measured fermentation yield suggested a larger benefit to S2EBPR P removal than was observed; (5) S2EBPR without the anaerobic phase did not achieve good P removal; and (6) although microbial community trends were similar, S2EBPR enriched more metabolically flexible polyphosphate accumulating organisms than conventional EBPR, importantly, Candidatus Phosphoribacter. Overall, RAS fermentation was beneficial to EBPR performance and stability with external carbon addition but minimally without.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)4110-4119
Number of pages10
JournalACS ES and T Water
Volume4
Issue number9
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 13 2024
Externally publishedYes

Funding

This work was conducted and supported by the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago. Specific contributions include Ed Podczerwinski and Jonathan Grabowy for project support, the Analytical Laboratory Division for chemical analysis, the microbiology group for DNA extraction and processing, and Bryan Allen and Erica Spiess for providing additional sample collection and operational support. M.M.F. and G.F.W. were supported in part by the Israel-U.S. Collaborative Water-Energy Research Center (CoWERC) via the Binational Industrial Research and Development Foundation (BIRD) Energy Center grant EC-15. This research was also supported in part through the computational resources and staff contributions provided for the Quest high-performance computing facility at Northwestern University, which is jointly supported by the Office of the Provost, the Office for Research, and Northwestern University Information Technology.

Keywords

  • EBPR
  • S2EBPR
  • fermentation
  • phosphorus
  • wastewater

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Chemistry (miscellaneous)
  • Chemical Engineering (miscellaneous)
  • Environmental Chemistry
  • Water Science and Technology

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